"Gentlemen, I can only take you so far. From here on, since the recent fluctuations in the secret realm, vehicles are prohibited from passing. You can only enter on foot."
The SUV was parked in a deserted suburb. There were not only no people around, but even few buildings were visible.
The only things that could be seen were a few small houses, about the size of a guard room.
In front of this area, a no-entry sign was erected and a cordon was specially drawn.
From this cordon, one can sense the overflowing magical fluctuations.
This magical fluctuation is another setting that can prevent vehicles from entering by mistake or forcing their way in.
"Thanks for your hard work."
Hua Peiling nodded, turned her head to look at the back seat, and gave a look that told her to get out of the car.
The fare had already been paid, and the two got off the car quickly.
After finishing the business, the SUV sped away.
Lin You put his hands on his hips, twisted his body to stretch, and looked around. "This place... is really desolate."
"normal."
Hua Peiling said, "Otherwise, it wouldn't be possible to plan it as a trial area. Phew, I'm finally out. I can relax a little."
She seemed to be in a good mood.
This is certainly a good thing, but Lin You always feels that the sense of incongruity has come up again.
"Let's go, get down to business!"
Hua Peiling raised her voice, pointed in the direction ahead, and strode forward.
This girl always seems to be letting herself go?
Looking at her carefree look, Lin You couldn't help but have such thoughts.
But soon, he shook his head and said, "Forget it. The focus now is to complete the task beautifully."
Without thinking any more, I followed him.
…
desolate.
silence.
After walking in the suburbs for about half an hour, the environment remained unchanged.
On the way, we also passed by those small houses.
From the outside, it is difficult to see what is going on inside the house because the window glass is opaque.
But you can see a faint light inside, probably someone is there.
This area is said to be a trial area, but it is really unguarded and not suitable.
However, no one came out to check on them.
Perhaps the cordon before entering has completed some kind of verification.
After walking for a while, Lin You tilted his head and asked, "Are you sure you know the way?"
"Such a long-winded thing. Isn't the purpose of a road to be found?"
Hua Peiling said confidently, "As a duelist, are you afraid of getting tired from such a short walk? We're not in a hurry anyway, so taking a walk wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, right? It's rare to breathe this pure air."
“…”
Lin You was speechless. Okay, you have a point.
There is really no need to be too anxious. This area is enough. We will eventually find a place.
He didn't bring it up again, but after a moment's hesitation, Lin You couldn't resist his curiosity. "I say, how come it feels like you've become a different person after just a few days of not seeing you?"
Hua Peiling said lightly, "You just realized it? I thought you had noticed it a long time ago. You're a little slow."
Lin You opened his mouth but said nothing.
But I was shocked.
Good job!
It turns out that your personality can really change at any time?
What does it mean? The "Ice Beauty" in Jiangcheng University in the past was actually just a disguise?
Although I had noticed something was wrong a long time ago, it still felt a bit magical when I heard the person admit it so generously.
"Is it necessary to be so surprised?"
Hua Peiling said casually, "Logically speaking, you should empathize with some of the troubles I'm facing, but you just deal with them differently."
Troubled?
Lin You was startled for a moment, blinking his eyes. Suddenly, his mind flickered as he thought of something. He said admiringly, "You really don't mind being tired. By doing this, aren't you burdening yourself on another level?"
"It's better than being pestered by a bunch of people every day."
"Okay, you know how to play."
Lin You finally understood that Hua Peiling's identity as the "Ice Beauty" was really just a mask she put on herself.
Sometimes, being too beautiful is indeed a problem. As Hua Peiling said, he also understands this point deeply, but he just deals with it more casually.
He can handle this little bit of trouble, and as long as it doesn't delay things, he doesn't think it's a bad thing.
Of course, people have different ideas and it varies from person to person, which is understandable.
At this moment, Lin You thought of something and couldn't help but say, "Speaking of which, is it really okay to just go out like this and expose yourself so casually?"
Hua Peiling glanced at him and said, "I don't think you are such a boring person."
"Okay, I admit that there is nothing wrong with your vision."
Lin You is indeed not a big mouth, nor does he have any bad taste. How others like to disguise themselves is their own business, and he will not look for trouble.
Automatically brushing off the question, Lin You continued, "But why did your partner choose me? You should have many more suitable partners, right? That way, completing the mission would be much easier."
"In the short term, that's correct."
Hua Peiling said without hesitation: "But from a long-term perspective, I don't think anyone in college can compare with your talent."
At this point, perhaps because he'd dropped his disguise, he cracked a rare smile. "I'm actually the one clinging to the thighs. If I had to come up with a term for this behavior, how about 'investment-style clinging to the thighs'?"
Lin You was speechless, this time surprise was written all over his face.
Holy crap.
Is there such an operation?
What's that look in this girl's eyes?
Fiery eyes and golden pupils?
Is it still that foresight?
Giving her a thumbs-up in his heart, Lin You laughed and said, "You're really funny. I accept that."
During the journey, the two of them talked and chatted, but they did not ignore the surrounding route.
Hua Peiling was not sure about the specific route, but once she found the area nearby, it would be easy to lock onto the target cave.
Mutated caves will be specially marked.
This is indeed the case.
After searching the area for about an hour, a cave entrance with a red glow appeared in their sight.
"Is this the place?"
Standing in front of the cave, Lin You looked inside. Apart from the deep darkness, he could see nothing else.
Magical power surged and attached itself to the eyes.
After completing the magic eye, look again.
This time, it was as if a layer of barrier had been broken through, and I could see more clearly.
Some internal environment emerges.
Grayish-white soil, scattered gravel all over the ground, and drops of water sliding down the sharp rocks on the top from time to time.
It looks somewhat similar to some caves in the rock walls.
But this underground cave suddenly appeared in this wilderness.
It seemed as if it was forcibly opened up by some special force.
Hua Peiling also kept her magic eyes on at this moment. She stared at the cave for a while and nodded, "This is it."
"Our mission is to retrieve the mutated soil from here?"
Lin You confirmed it again. Although Hua Peiling had already roughly described the requirements of this task to him before, she might have missed something.
Hua Peiling nodded and said, "We need to collect the mutated soil, but there is more than one kind, but they are all concentrated in this cave."
"So, let's go down now?"
"Are you ready? If you are, go down. Did you remember all the dangers I told you about before?"
Hua Peiling raised her head slightly and said, "I've also said that I'm 'investing and clinging to someone's thighs,' but now is only the initial stage of investment, and the thighs haven't grown yet. I'll try to protect myself first. If I really can't hold on any longer, you can make another move."
"Today you are the 'responsible person' and you have the final say."
Lin You had no objection. As for when to take action, it would be better to adapt to the situation. It was impossible to let this girl bear it all on her own.
Loss of face!
"Okay, let's go down now."
After saying that, Hua Peiling took action immediately.
Magic surges and cards flip.
Under the cover of a summoning light, the figure of a monster appeared, accompanied by a sudden gust of wind.
The beautiful, clean green wings spread out, and the bird and beast landed lightly. The claws of the bird and beast touched the ground, leaving slight traces of cracks.
Harpie 3
Bird and beast tribe, wind attribute.
Attack power/1300, defense power/1400.
…
Harpy 3. Seeing this monster and Hua Peiling's deck construction, Lin You had a rough idea in his mind.
Of course, not necessarily.
Scattered monsters are possible, but it is unlikely to be the case.
After the eagle girl appeared, she also flapped her wings and skillfully controlled the wind element.
This wind element directly affected the two of them.
He didn't resist and let the wind element wrap around him. Soon, his body was gently lifted up by it.
A duel-level harpy!
It seems that it is correct. The deck Hua Peiling is currently using is most likely the Harpy Girl deck.
And now, with this wind element, there is no need to worry about how to go down.
Dragged by the wind element, the two began to slowly descend.
The depth of this cave is not shallow, at least more than ten meters.
After descending slowly for a while, I felt my feet firmly on solid ground.
As soon as he went down, Lin You couldn't help but frown.
A strange stench wafted into my nose. It was obviously sealed before, and the smell could not escape. At this moment, it was extremely pungent.
"This should be the smell of a mutation, a mixture of corpses and blood."
Hua Peiling's analysis was relatively calm, but her expression was very ugly. It was obvious that she couldn't bear it. Soon, she used magic power to cover up and isolate the smell.
Lin Youze was not in a hurry to do so. Although the smell was terrible, if he was completely isolated from it, he might miss some clues.
"Coolie~"
Suddenly, the chestnut ball flew out, its watery eyes scanning the surroundings sharply.
Lin You was stunned for a moment, then slapped his head.
He almost forgot that there is a little perception expert here, so he doesn't need to worry at all.
At that moment, he used a little magic to dilute the smell a little.
Although it still smells bad, it is now acceptable.
"The soil we're looking for should be deep inside this cave, right?"
As he said this, Lin You's magical eyes looked forward and he could see the end at a glance.
But that is not the end of the cave. There are roads on both sides where you can turn and continue walking.
This cave is bigger than I imagined, but we'll have to wait and see how big it is.
"The mutated soil will have a color that resembles the manifestation of magic, making it more conspicuous. However, those mutated monsters should be guarding that soil. Clearing them will make our actions more convenient."
Hua Peiling explained that as for the manifestation of magic power, it is actually a dark blue color.
Lin You nodded slightly, but in his mind he said, "How is it, did you find anything?"
The only person who can transmit sound in this way is naturally Chestnut Ball.
Chestnut Ball's perception range is not small, so he should be able to make quite a few discoveries.
But this time, the chestnut ball did not respond immediately. It closed its eyes and sensed while flying. It took a while before it responded.
"Coolie~"
Hearing the reply, Lin You's heart moved slightly.
The little guy said that the cave was filled with a special aura, which covered and isolated many things, including its perception.
But it's not the range of perception that's been compressed, but rather the intensity.
In this way, once some auras remain 'static', they will not fall into its perception range.
Unless this aura is strong enough to a certain extent, it will be very conspicuous if it is not dissipated intentionally.
Of course, if it is really that powerful, not to mention the little guy, even Lin You would probably feel it.
And right now, the strangest thing is that, at present, no breath has been exposed to its perception circle.
This is strange.
You know, the information provided in the mission mentioned that there are actually quite a few mutated monsters in this cave.
They are all products catalyzed by the influence of the fluctuations in the secret realm.
Having said that, the strength of these mutated monsters is much inferior to that of the real secret monsters of the same level.
But in terms of temperament, it is basically as manic as the monsters in the secret realm.
Otherwise, there would be no need to seal this cave.
Logically speaking, these monsters should be very troublesome, and it is common for them to fight each other if they disagree with each other.
In this situation, how could the atmosphere be so calm?
Could it be that they have gone too far and ended up dying together?
It's not realistic either.
This cave is not a one-time thing. Even if the monsters inside die, as long as the mutant aura does not dissipate, new mutant monsters will appear in a short time.
No matter how you look at it, it's a bit abnormal to be so quiet.
In addition, just looking at the environment inside the cave, although some traces of fighting can be seen, these traces are not exaggerated, just minor fights.
It's not serious enough to clean up the environment.
"This place...is a little different than I imagined."
After walking for a while, Hua Peiling suddenly spoke. Obviously, she also felt something was wrong.
As they were ready for a fierce battle at any time, the two of them walked very slowly, and now they had just reached the end of the straight road.
But the further they walked, the quieter it became, as if they were being silly, battling wits with the air.
"Something's wrong."
Lin You nodded and said, "The mutated monster seems to have disappeared. Could it be that it has suppressed its frenzy and learned to lie dormant?"
It's not a random guess, it's possible!
If that were to happen, their situation would be even more dangerous.
What is in plain sight is called 'prey'.
But since it hides in the dark, maybe we should call it a 'hunter'.
There is not one level of danger.
"Be prepared."
Lin You's face became serious. This was his first time going out on a mission.
It is also a real outdoor battle.
The battle here is different from the duel.
In a duel, no matter how fierce the battle is or how thrilling the process is, in the end, the only thing that will be determined is the winner.
And this time, if we fail, there will be no chance to come back.
The moment his soul barrier is broken, death will be waiting for him.
At this moment, the solemnity on Lin You's face seemed to have returned to the dark game that took place in Jianghua High School in the past.
The same crisis!
The difference is that this time, Lin You took the initiative to participate in such a trial.
He also has the ability to bear and face all of this!
Magic power surges.
A blue-purple fusion vortex emerged, and soon, a violent black aura spread out and rushed violently!
The legendary two-headed monster appeared in the dark light.
The winged mythical beast Chimera!
Soul connection formed!
Without hesitation, Lin You summoned his current trump card.
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The moment Chimera appeared, the entire cave shook slightly, and some rubble fell from a great height and completely shattered in mid-air.
Chestnut Ball also seized the opportunity and sensed again.
Lin You chose to summon Chimera at this time, naturally not only to rely on it to maintain order, but also to try to force something out.
If those mutated monsters could sense this rampant ultra-black aura, they would not be able to remain calm even if they wanted to.
"How about it?"
Lin You quickly sent a message in his mind, and this time, Li Ziqiu seemed to have really discovered something.
"coolie!"
However, after hearing its reply, Lin You was even more confused.
"A familiar smell?"
The little guy caught a fleeting glimpse of familiarity?
What kind of smell would it be familiar with?
And why did it disappear in a flash?
"How are you? Your expression seems a little off."
Hua Peiling noticed the change in Lin You's expression, as if she had thought of something. She said with a smile, "Are you suddenly scared? I say, there are some abnormalities here, but there's no need to worry too much. Whether those mutated monsters have disappeared or hidden, our goal remains the same. We just need to find the soil we want, take it, and leave."
Lin You said nothing.
Hua Peiling was about to say something else when he suddenly turned his head and looked at her, saying in a deep voice, "Be careful, the situation here may be more complicated than expected. I just detected a special aura. It doesn't belong to those mutated monsters. Perhaps it's a human, or something else."
"people?"
This time, Hua Peiling was also stunned.
"No matter what it is, we can't afford to slack off. You're right, the mission is our only goal. Once we get the soil, we have to leave as soon as possible."
"Could it be that the mission releases overlapped?"
Hua Peiling speculated and frowned, "No way, this mission is unique to each school, and I've already communicated with the association. There shouldn't be just one mutant cave here. Did someone get the target wrong?"
This is somewhat possible.
After all, the caves look the same from the outside.
You also need to use your magic eyes to carefully observe the interior.
Inside, there is actually a unique number engraved with magic.
Make sure to check the number for confirmation.
But then again, the number of this cave is indeed a bit vague and it is hidden quite deeply.
Before coming in, Hua Peiling took a long time to confirm.
Hua Peiling felt a little overwhelmed as she thought about it. She took a deep breath and said, "Don't think about it anymore. Just like you said, we should be on high alert. If there is any danger, we will use our brute force to overcome it!"